“Get out of my home!” didn’t work on animals who were so far gone they forgot they were even alive, no matter how much force of will Tirloch put into his words. The infestation was so severe, he could smell it in the air, no matter which part of the forest he investigated. His claws found yet another small creature in a state of half-death, and soon he rendered it fully dead. Whatever plague the infesting insects caused to the local wildlife didn’t affect him, being one of Gaia’s numerous nature spirits, but that didn’t mean he didn’t see what it was doing.
He had to cleanse this pestilence, and restore his home.
Days and nights he spent without rest, slaying all infected, from the smallest rodents to the largest bucks and bears. He earned countless scrapes and gashes in return for his efforts, from the ones who could fight back, but still he pressed on. At the very least, he was rewarded with an overabundance of life energy. While it couldn’t heal him, he could take it to Gaia’s Core, where he could briefly stay and recover.
He chewed on a small, minty herb on his way to the nearest portal, and felt refreshed as the leaves’ juices coursed through him.
Arriving at the portal, he hesitated, sensing something amiss. The remains of the herb fell from his maw, and he sniffed at the air, curious at the strange new scent. And… was the air colored? It was like an aura, or a mist, or a misty aura, even, that seeped through the trees. Looking at himself to see if it interfered with his form, he could tell he still retained his solidity, and his natural, dark brown furry coat with its darker stripes and golden accents. Then what was this… this miasma?
Was it what was causing the insects to turn virulent, and the wildlife to rot while still alive? Frowning, and realizing he needed to locate the source yet was too exhausted to continue his hunt, he stepped through the portal. Perhaps he could enlist the aid of other kijikaiaku. He’d heard word of there being a few immortals who weren’t adverse to fighting.
He was transported from a lush forest to a nigh-barren, almost volcanic-looking spherical realm, which had a false sun in the dead center that cast an even, perpetual light on the rocky landscape. Illusory vegetation dotted the hills he traveled through, and he hopped over a similarly illusory stream in his path. In time, he arrived at a den-village, where numerous other kiji were either resting or frolicking or, to Tirloch’s eyes, behaved in a carefree way that implied they hadn’t received Gaia’s ominous warning.
Still, he needed to try. He paused at a cool pool of water at the edge of the village, where he lowered his head to drink, and was rewarded almost immediately with a full-body refreshment. It was followed by a moment of sitting down to meditate and offer up his vast collected energy to the realm, and in return he felt lighter, and like he wasn’t so… bloated.
He needed to resist the urge to rest for very long, however. As he opened his eyes again, he saw a flash of white streak by, and as white wings opened, he caught the bright colors of pink, purple, and teal underneath.
Hadn’t he heard of this one? Eridanus, the Firestarter? He thought of enlisting him for aid, but then if Eridanus’ reputation for fire was so pervasive, he wasn’t sure he wanted such a kiji in his very, very flammable homeland.
With a snort, he rose to head into the village, and began asking around for one who might assist him.
When Eridanus overheard from an exceedingly short chain of gossip, and came over to politely offer aid, all Tirloch could do was sigh and smile and accept. Matching Eridanus’ polite manner, he said, “Just do me one favor. No fire, please.”
Laughing, Eridanus answered, “There are other ways of dealing with these problems.”